A large flat-bottomed boat used on Indian rivers, particularly the Ganges, for transporting cargo and passengers during the colonial period.
From Hindi 'baj-ra' or 'baj-ri,' a type of river boat. The term entered English through Anglo-Indian usage during British colonial administration in India.
Budgerows were the 'container ships' of the 18th and 19th centuries in India—they could navigate shallow rivers and carry enormous loads, and British administrators relied on them to maintain colonial control and commerce!
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